The Lost One
by Psychologically DysFUNctional
Summary: [LawlClan Secret Santa] In a Family Full of Birds, you either learn how to fly or don't and live the rest of your life amongst the shadows.


**A/N: For you, Jimmy. :D Have a Merry Christmas you great sonuvabish. And yes, I'm making up random OC's (surprise, surprise) because I couldn't think of a Warrior who'd properly fit the short story without being completely out of character. This story is put in pieces, and this is only part one of two. The next installment will be up sometime tomorrow!**

**-Luna**

**Warning: Grammatical errors (I did some piss-poor late night editing)**

**Condensed allegiances.**

**ThunderClan – (Leader) Stripestar (Deputy) Dapplewhisker, apprentice; Ravenpaw, (Medicine cat) Bramblestep (Warriors) Sootclaw, apprentice; Hawkpaw, Stormpelt, Goldenspots, apprentice; Leafpaw, Thrushfur, Doveheart**

**The Lost One**

**Part I: Lone Shadow**

_Down Feathers_

It isn't the first time that Hawkpaw tumbled down the little rabbit hole hidden at the side of the clearing. In fact, he's done it five other times in the span of this one group battle training. His mentor's patience grew thin a while ago, so every time he toppled over he got a light bat over his ear. The other apprentices had no problems perfecting this attack, he noticed. No one else was getting beat over the ear or was completely covered in dirt and rabbit droppings. It was just him. His skin was hot with embarrassment as he plucked the blades of grass out of his pelt.

He hoped Sootclaw wouldn't tell his mother and father of what happened today, but he doubted it. Sootclaw was an old cat who loved to gossip about every little thing that happened in the Clan. Hawkpaw was running out of excuses for his performance. Last week his told his parents he twisted his paw, the week before that his stomach hurt. They didn't question him about his battle or hunting training anymore. He was pretty sure they didn't want to be let down again. Maybe they stopped hoping he would get better. He gave up hoping that a while ago and started considering the choice of being a medicine cat apprentice instead.

The feeling of sharp claws pricking his enflamed ear skin jolted him back to the world around him. Hawkpaw let out a low hiss and drew away from him dark-furred mentor.

"Pay _attention_. You can't seem to understand you're _two days_ behind the other apprentices, mouse-brain." Sootclaw flicked his tail in the direction of the other apprentices, his brother amongst the small crowd. "Watch and learn."

His eyes lay on his mousy-pelted kin, Ravenpaw—the only apprentice whose mentor was the deputy of ThunderClan. Sootclaw usually made him watch his younger brother as an example. He probably thought that if his littermate could do it, so could he. That maybe there was a piece of Ravenpaw's excellence in Hawkpaw that would be able to make him a young prodigy like said brother. Even StarClan could tell Sootclaw otherwise, but the senile mentor was bent on making right of him.

Ravenpaw and Dapplewhisker stood side-by-side, ready to run through the moves once again. Dapplewhisker looked even more excited than Ravenpaw was. The other mentors and apprentices lined up in preparation for the mock battle.

"On the count of three, you and Leafpaw will show us what you learned, m'kay?" Dapplewhisker purred, barely able to hold her pride in her chest. Ravenpaw gave the deputy a curt nod and fluffed out his fur, making himself look bigger. Leafpaw, just as confident, strode up to the challenge with a serious face.

"One…two…three!"

Ravenpaw rushed forward, his paw outstretched and aimed at the side of Leafpaw's head. The ginger she-cat crouched in the nick-of-time, Ravenpaw's rough pads brushing against the tips of her flattened ears. She took advantage of the apprentice's exposed belly and landed light blows against his stomach. Ravenpaw—noticing his flaw—corrected his stature. Leafpaw recoiled, evading Ravenpaw's attack once again. Again and again, Ravenpaw let loose a barrage of close-range attacks. The ginger she-cat backed further away from the offending tabby until she'd been cornered between two trees and the mousy furred apprentice.

Ravenpaw smirked, bright amber eyes twinkling in feat. He shifted his weight on his paws.

"I won!"

"Did _not_!"

"Did so!"

"I don't want to hear it from you two today." Dapplewhisker mewed in a stern voice, eyeing both apprentices with a mild expression. "I think we've done enough training for these two." She flicked tail over Ravenpaw's ear, a signal to go. Sootclaw cuffed Hawkpaw over the ear, his signal that they would be staying late into the night practicing.

That same night, Hawkpaw learned Ravenpaw was going to be a warrior earlier than he would. Hawkpaw was still older.

_A Family Full of Birds_

The sunset was cool today, a big difference from the sweltering heat the skies bestowed upon the Clan the previous days before. The familiar clan meeting call was announced just heartbeats ago by the leader. Cats poured out from every den and corner of the camp, their murmurs already filling his ears_._

_"Oh, I heard it was Ravenpaw's Warrior Ceremony today. I can't believe he's already becoming a warrior."_

_"He's only been an apprentice for what—five moons?"_

_"That has to be a record or something, right?"_

_'Shut up.' _Hawkpaw wanted to say, but he bit down on his tongue so hard he felt blood spill around his teeth. He should be happy. Everyone else was happy. His brother deserved his Warrior name. Ravenpaw showed that he was fit for it at every chance he got. Yet, why was it that he couldn't shove down the hot feeling climbing up his strained throat? Why was it that every time someone said his kin's name, his nails threatened to unsheathe? His mouth dared to bare? What was wrong with him?

Hawkpaw knew the answer, but he wasn't going to admit it. Not even to himself. The deputy and leader, Stripestar, climbed up onto the High Stones and began the usual ceremony's rituals. It always started with unnecessarily long speech about how _great_ the to-be Warriors were. How much _he _contributed to the clan. How much _he_ deserved to be a Warrior. How much _he _was going to be the greatest Warrior to walk this ancient earth.

'_Malarkey_.' He slipped before he could catch himself. He needed to stop. This was his kin, his brother! Not his enemy. _'It'll be my turn soon.'_

"Ravenpaw, may you step up to the High Stones?"

'_I'll be the greatest Warrior in this Clan._'

"…for your courageous acts and bravery…"

'_I'll be known for my strength and reliability.'_

"…served this Clan like I have seen no other. You have exceeded my expectations…"

'_I'll impress Stripestar. I'll make my parents proud of me, too.'_

"…powers of StarClan, you are now named Ravenwing. Let the Clan rejoice in the name of our bravest hero! Ravenwing! Ravenwing!"

"_I'll have a cooler name than him."_

It wasn't until Leafpaw was pulled up onto the High Stones that Hawkpaw noticed he ignored the entirety of his brother's Warrior ceremony. Yet, he didn't feel any pity. He didn't feel ashamed. His fur didn't feel hot and sticky like it usually did when he did something like this. This unremorseful feeling only intensified when he saw Dovewing and Thrushfur, his mom and dad, run over to congratulate him—the only son they claimed. They didn't care that he wasn't there with him. They probably didn't even notice.

He saw Leafpaw—no, Leaf_cloud_—glance at him. She was probably the only one who's spared him a single glance that whole day. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. The little attention he got from others was to be cherished. She made an attempt to confront him, feeling his distress from her spot next to Ravenwing, but said cat nudged her in the other direction, chatting loudly about the vigil.

Leafcloud gave him one last sparing glimpse_. 'I'm sorry.' _Hawkpaw, even from afar, could see the ginger cat's fur mix together with a mousy one until the two Warriors faded into one color.

They were a family full of birds, and he's just been pushed off the nest to make room.

**A/N: Part 1, bitches. Part 2 will be more eventful. This chapter only has two segments, the next will have 4, I promise. :)**

**Anyways Merry (Late) Christmas!**


End file.
